LeBron James' Post-Retirement Plans and Timeline Revealed

ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst has been following LeBron James since his early days in Cleveland, so it’s no surprise that he would have the inside scoop on the superstar’s retirement plans.

Windhorst revealed a lot about LeBron’s post-retirement plans on First Take on Thursday, including a timeline of the rest of his career and where he might finish playing. 

Windhorst Says LeBron Will Stay in LA for the Rest of His Career

LeBron just signed a two-year max contract (with a player option in the second year) to return to the Lakers, and no one should be surprised.

It’s always been the plan for LeBron to finish his career in LA playing alongside Bronny while making max-level money to set up his post-NBA life.

According to Windhorst, LeBron isn’t going anywhere else, even despite having a player option for 2025.

"LeBron has very clearly laid out with his words and actions what his checklist is. He wants to be a Laker. Regardless of how he gets frustrated when they don’t make moves or whatever, he keeps signing contracts with the Lakers. He’s about to enter his seventh year there. That’s the longest run he’s had with any team. He’s changed teams all these times. He’s clearly a Laker. He’s not going anywhere."

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN First Take

Windhorst went on to add that LeBron is also already set up to play with his son and make max money, two other things that he’s made clear he wants.

So what’s next after finishing his career in LA? 

"He wants to be the owner of the coming expansion team in Las Vegas. So, the biggest thing other than health that we’re going to see that’s going to determine when the end of LeBron’s career is, is when the owners of the league set forth a timeline about when they’re going to establish that expansion team in Las Vegas."

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN First Take

That takes away much of the mystery for LeBron’s timeline. As long as he stays healthy, all you have to do is pay attention to the NBA’s expansion plans to figure out how long LeBron might be playing. 

For now, assume that LeBron is going to remain in LA for at least the next two seasons (barring any substantial injuries). Enjoy the ride while you can!

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